La MiniTK – Muerte y Sabrosura – Dark Cumbia

The tropics have always been known for uplifting music that we up north eat up. Most of us up here picture Jamaica as an island paradise (which it is naturally) filled with “one love” minded paradiso Rastas, who just kick back and don’t worry all day. It’s a perfect getaway, well at least it is if you keep the tourist away from Kingston, one of the most violent cities in the world. So we pack our bags and head down to the Bahamas via cruise ship, Cabo, or Cancun to bask in the sun and sweet vibes the tropics has to offer.

We keep these images in our heads even in the clubs here where we listen to and enjoy music we can shake our booties to. Now there is nothing wrong with good vibes music, especially from places of civil unrest and extreme poverty. To celebrate life in the midst of a not-so-good life is healthy. I don’t really have much of a problem with this. Except when it completely skews our view of the real world.

My good friend shares musical tastes with me down in Bogota, Colombia. His view is to show the truer, more realistic dark side of the tropics with his music and art. He fronts a very unique band called La MiniTK. A play on minitheques, the small mobile DJ parties, La MiniTK may have a playful name but the music is not what I would label as playful per se. The music is dark. More sounding like The Sisters of Mercy and Skinny Puppy, and the other darker sounds we northerners are well known for. La MiniTK not only impresses me with their music but also impresses me with their honesty. I love the truth, even when it hurts. I admire honest people. I really admire those who struggle to even tell a lie. It has a lot to do with my philosophical view on our species and place in the universe. Even the good things about life hurt a lot. Sometimes the most painful memories are memories of great times that have passed. I’m nowhere near the caliber of writer that Bob Dylan is, or that Hunter Thompson was (is) but I am a lover of honesty and these guys are painfully honest. To write something to sum up what I mean even close to being as good as Bob Dylan did, is unlikely attainable for me, so I’d rather just quote him if I may, ” It frightens me, the awful truth of how sweet life can be.”

And such honesty comes from La MiniTk. Their sound is more on the dark side and they feel this to be necessary to show some balance and honesty of how the tropics are. At least to them in the dangerous city of Bogota.

La MiniTK has been slowly teasing me along with their many other fans with their upcoming release of their album ‘Muerte y Sabrosura’. They recently had a party showcasing the music from their album a couple of weeks ago along with the legend Dick el Demasiado. I have for you a teaser video and two tracks from the album.